"For a good man to realize that it is better to be whole than it is to be good is to enter on a strait and narrow path compared to which his previous rectitude was flowery license."
--John Middleton Murry
I came across this line while reading Parker Palmer's
book Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation, which is terrific, by the way. I know very little about Mr. Murry, but I like what he is encouraging us to value. About the same time I was reminded that the Greek
understanding of perfection is wholeness, which leaves me feeling a lot more hopeful when I read the verse, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:48)
I see in the image of wholeness something that can be
momentarily attained. A graced, humble, open moment can spring out of nowhere as gift. But wholeness is also fathomless. It's an integrated way of being that includes beauty, surprise, compassion, and naturalness. That which emerges from wholeness seems very different to me than what emerges from perfection or mere goodness.
I like the assertion that wholeness is deeper and more
demanding than goodness, because it can not be attained by obeying rules. I also appreciate the sense that it doesn't inspire striving the way a desire for perfection might. It demands work, but it's of a different kind. It's more about collaborating with God's spirit. And since each individual is a distinct manifestation of God's glory, there's something necessary about coming to know and consenting to our uniqueness. What results from this sort of team work
is enjoyed by the team, rather than boasted of by the
individual.
--John Middleton Murry
I came across this line while reading Parker Palmer's
book Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation, which is terrific, by the way. I know very little about Mr. Murry, but I like what he is encouraging us to value. About the same time I was reminded that the Greek
understanding of perfection is wholeness, which leaves me feeling a lot more hopeful when I read the verse, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:48)
I see in the image of wholeness something that can be
momentarily attained. A graced, humble, open moment can spring out of nowhere as gift. But wholeness is also fathomless. It's an integrated way of being that includes beauty, surprise, compassion, and naturalness. That which emerges from wholeness seems very different to me than what emerges from perfection or mere goodness.
I like the assertion that wholeness is deeper and more
demanding than goodness, because it can not be attained by obeying rules. I also appreciate the sense that it doesn't inspire striving the way a desire for perfection might. It demands work, but it's of a different kind. It's more about collaborating with God's spirit. And since each individual is a distinct manifestation of God's glory, there's something necessary about coming to know and consenting to our uniqueness. What results from this sort of team work
is enjoyed by the team, rather than boasted of by the
individual.
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